Martin Marietta Corporation

General Dynamics Armament Systems, Inc.

General Dynamics Armament Sys., Inc.

Anthony R Steward

David L Maher

Joseph F Bender-Zanoni

Derek A Rodriguez

Peter Arthur Bates

Michael J Laurin

Ned S Ashton

Glenn P Livingston

A system and method for selectively transferring storable units, particularly artillery propellant charge units, between a storage space and a location outside of the storage space, the system including a storage magazine having a plurality of parallel, axially elongated chambers opening at an end of the storage magazine, a shuttle having a transfer mechanism tube movable relative to the storage magazine between positions of axial alignment with each of the plurality of elongated chambers and the location outside of the storage space, and a feed mechanism to move the units between the transfer tube and the elongated chambers. Where the elongated chambers are respectively centered on Z axes with open ends presented at intersecting X and Y axes perpendicular to the Z axes, the shuttle is translatable in an X direction and supports the transfer tube on a Z-axis for movement in a Y direction relative to the storage magazine so that a combination of shuttle translation on the X axis and movement of the transfer tube on the Y axis positions the transfer tube in axial alignment with the respective open ends of each of the plurality of cylindrical tubes. The feed mechanism moves the charge units in the Z direction between the respective elongated chambers and the transfer tube. A conveyor aligned with a Z axis delivers charge units to and from the storage magazine and is positioned for transfer of charge units to and from the shuttle mounted transfer tube.

Method and apparatus for storing and handling propellant charge units

A linked bucket carrier for safely transporting molded, solid-propellant charges between a transport conveyor and respective storage magazines is described. The propellant charge carrier includes an elongated body having an arc-shaped cross section that defines an elongated slot which is divided into compartments by spacers so that the carrier is capable of holding at least two propellant charges. The carrier may further include clamping fingers extending from the body and arranged on the body in opposing pairs, and the fingers may be pre-formed so that they define an out-of-round cross section adapted to clamp the propellant charges when the propellant charges are positioned within the body.

Bucket carrier for molded solid propellant storage magazine

An ammunition round reorienter is equipped with a gear train having parallel drive paths connecting a common motor to concurrently rotate a platform about a vertical axis and to pivot a tray about a horizontal axis, such that an ammunition round carried by the tray is reoriented both in azimuth and elevation as it is translated between receiving and handoff orientations.

Dual-axis ammunition reorienter

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Essex Junction, VT, United States of America

Anthony R Steward